Equilibrium gels of limited valence colloids

Gels are low-packing arrested states of matter which are able to support stress. On cooling, limited valence colloidal particles form open networks stabilized by the progressive increase of the interparticle bond lifetime. These gels, named equilibrium gels, are the focus of this review article. Differently from other types of colloidal gels, equilibrium gels do not require an underlying phase separation to form. Oppositely, they form in a region of densities deprived of thermodynamic instabilities. Limited valence equilibrium gels neither coarsen nor age with time

Examination of Silica Sol-Gels and Aerogels Containing Silver Nanoparticles and 4-Mercaptobenzoic Acid Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

Sol-gels and aero-gels containing silver nanoparticles have been investigated for use as substrates in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). 4-Mercaptobenzoic acid (4-MBA) was chosen as the target molecule in this study, as it has been well-characterized using SERS. The orientation of the 4-MBA at different coverages in gels, and at differing concentrations of silver colloid, has not been well studied. For both base and acid-catalyzed sol-gels, xerogels, and aerogels, the concentration of 4-MBA was varied with a constant silver colloid concentration in the silica gels and the effects were measured with SERS. The effect of varying silver colloid concentration against a constant 4-MBA concentration was also investigated. The results of each process were compared

A Gel Probe Equilibrium Sampler for Measuring Arsenic Porewater Profiles and Sorption Gradients in Sediments: I. Laboratory Development

A gel probe equilibrium sampler has been developed to study arsenic (As) geochemistry and sorption behavior in sediment porewater. The gels consist of a hydrated polyacrylamide polymer, which has a 92% water content. Two types of gels were used in this study. Undoped (clear) gels were used to measure concentrations of As and other elements in sediment porewater. The polyacrylamide gel was also doped with hydrous ferric oxide (HFO), an amorphous iron (Fe) oxyhydroxide. When deployed in the field, HFO-doped gels introduce a fresh sorbent into the subsurface thus allowing assessment of in situ sorption. In this study, clear and HFO-doped gels were tested under laboratory conditions to constrain the gel behavior prior to field deployment. Both types of gels were allowed to equilibrate with solutions of varying composition and re-equilibrated in acid for analysis. Clear gels accurately measured solution concentrations (±1%), and As was completely recovered from HFO-doped gels (±4%). Arsenic speciation was determined in clear gels through chromatographic separation of the re-equilibrated solution. For comparison to speciation in solution, mixtures of As(III) and As(V) adsorbed on HFO embedded in gel were measured in situ using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Sorption densities for As(III) and As(V) on HFO embedded in gel were obtained from sorption isotherms at pH 7.1. When As and phosphate were simultaneously equilibrated (in up to 50-fold excess of As) with HFO-doped gels, phosphate inhibited As sorption by up to 85% and had a stronger inhibitory effect on As(V) than As(III). Natural organic matter (>200 ppm) decreased As adsorption by up to 50%, and had similar effects on As(V) and As(III). The laboratory results provide a basis for interpreting results obtained by deploying the gel probe in the field and elucidating the mechanisms controlling As partitioning between solid and dissolved phases in the environment

The Study Of The Rheological Properties Of Pectin Gels With Mono - And Disaccharides

At manufacturing of confectionary products can be used the different mono- and disaccharides – glucose, fructose, saccharose, lactulose and so on. The study of rheological parameters of pectin gels, made on the base of apple puree and different sugars, allowed establish the regularities of sugars influence on the state of pectin gels. It was revealed, that the effective viscosity of pectin gels, based on glucose and fructose, is higher than the one of pectin gel, based on saccharose that is explained by the formation of more number of hydrogenous connections between monosaccharides and pectin molecules. It was established, that the use of lactulose probiotics in composition of pectin gels, based on saccharose or glucose, increases the quantity of free moisture that decreases the effective viscosity of its structure. Or on the contrary, in pectin gels, based on fructose, the addition of lactulose decreases the total quantity of free moistrure that increases the effective viscosity of the structure. It can be explained by the more high solubility of lactulose comparing with saccharose and glucose and the lower one comparing with fructose. The received data ground technological modes of formation of gel-like confectionary masses, namely the increase of the temperature of formation of gels, based on fructose and glucose. At manufacturing of production with functional properties, the addition of lactulose, on the contrary, widens the temperature interval of masses formation, consequently, the formation temperature can be lowered.At storage of gels at temperature 293 K their solidity increases. At the same time in gels, based on fructose, it is observed the crystals formation, connected with the low solubility of glucose. For prevention of crystals growth and attainment of the necessary structural-mechanical organoleptic parameters of gels, it is recommended to lower the glucose quantity by 30 %

Stimuli response of polysoap hydrogels in aqueous solution and DC electric fields

Novel types of polysoap hydrogels based on hydrophobically-modified polyelectrolytes crosslinked with N,N-methylenebisacrylamide have been prepared by free radical polymerization at 70–80°C in aqueous solution with ammonium persulfate as initiator. Poly(diallylamine-co-N,N-dodecylmethyldiallylammonium bromide) (PDA-C12), poly(N-methyldiallyl-co-N,N-dodecylmethyldiallylammonium bromide) (PMDA-C12) both contain hydrophobic side chains with 12 carbon atoms. The swelling behavior of these polysoap hydrogels was studied by immersion of the gels in buffered solutions at various pHs and ionic strengths. It was found that the structure of the polysoap backbone influenced the pH-dependent swelling and deswelling. The swelling process is reversible after repeating cycles of swelling and deswelling induced by a change of pH in appropriate buffer solutions. SEM micrographs of polysoap gels indicate that the network structures are characterized by the presence of large open pores or small closed pores. The stimuli response of the polysoap gels in electric fields was also investigated. In a contact electric field, deswelling was observed at the anode side of the gels. In a non-contact electric field, the gels bend towards the anode. The gels can turn back to the original shape and bend toward the cathode with time when higher electric potentials are applied. These properties of the gels are related to both the change of osmotic pressure caused by mobile ions and by hydrophobic interactions.

Design of hybrid gels based on gellan-cholesterol derivative and P90G liposomes for drug depot applications

Gels are extensively studied in the drug delivery field because of their potential benefits in therapeutics. Depot gel systems fall in this area, and the interest in their development has been focused on long-lasting, biocompatible, and resorbable delivery devices. The present work describes a new class of hybrid gels that stem from the interaction between liposomes based on P90G phospholipid and the cholesterol derivative of the polysaccharide gellan. The mechanical properties of these gels and the delivery profiles of the anti-inflammatory model drug diclofenac embedded in such systems confirmed the suitability of these hybrid gels as a good candidate for drug depot applications